Irons in the Fire

Fabulously entertaining and filled with the intriguing trivia of life, Irons in the Fire is another impeccably crafted collection of seven essays by John McPhee. His peerless writing, punctuated with a sharp sense of humor and fascinating detail, has earned him legions of fans across the country.

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Publisher's Summary

Fabulously entertaining and filled with the intriguing trivia of life, Irons in the Fire is another impeccably crafted collection of seven essays by John McPhee. His peerless writing, punctuated with a sharp sense of humor and fascinating detail, has earned him legions of fans across the country. Whether he's riding with a cattle brand inspector in wild and wide-open eastern Nevada or following Plymouth Rock through its various sizes, shapes, and resting places, McPhee provides the listener with an intimate glimpse into ordinary people and the extraordinary interests that shape their lives.

These delightful pieces, including "Irons in the Fire", "Travels of the Rock", "Release", "In Virgin Forest", "The Gravel Page", "Duty of Care", and "Rinard at Manheim", reveal the fascinating worlds hiding right under our noses. Narrator Nelson Runger's studied voice conveys McPhee's understated and thought-provoking writing. If you have never sampled McPhee's inspired prose, this audiobook will turn you into a lifelong fan.

What the Critics Say

"John McPhee has always done one thing particularly well: he writes with clarity and insight about what people do for a living." (The New York Times Book Review) "Unhurried and good-humored, Runger eases listeners into each nuance of feeling....Whether charming or grim, McPhee's elegant phrases and marvelously choice words are aptly captured." (AudioFile)

There are several FANTASTIC pieces and several pieces of mortar holding it together. Not his best collection, but I have yet to regret reading a McPhee book and this is no exception. Essays to not miss: 'Irons in the Fire', 'In Virgin Forest', 'The Gravel Page', 'Duty of Care', 'Travels of the Rock'. I think my favorite of the whole book were 'Irons in the Fire' and 'The Gravel Page'. Amazing pieces.

'Irons in the Fire' explores the ranchers, the Brand Inspectors, the rustlers, and the cattle land of Nevada. These are cowboys. These are the hard-core libertarian Mormons that produced Cliven Bundy and his ilk. These are the mountains and deserts where Utah, Nevada, and Arizona all meet. This essays was poignant for me because one of the characters/rustlers/ropers/breaker of horses in the essay (Wayne Lee) was a direct descendent of John D. Lee. John D. Lee was an adopted son of Brigham Young who was later shot for his direct role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

John D. Lee was also the husband of my 5th Great-Grandmother (Abigail Schaeffer Woolsey Lee), and my 5th Great-Grandfather's (Joseph Henry Woolsey) two sisters (Rachel Woolsey and Agatha Woolsey). No direct blood, but a helluva lot of history and stories. If you want to figure out why this section of Nevada and Utah produce such fundamentally hard people, McPhee's essay is as good a place as any to start.

'The Gravel Page' was originally three linked essays in the New Yorker: 'The Gravel Page', 'Balloons of War', and 'Death of an Agent'. This is where McPhee is amazing. You put McPhee in a room or a car with the right person, start having him talk to them about Geology, Ecology, Arts & Crafts, or Sports and something magical happens with the narrative. These are the stories McPhee was born to write.

The Gravel Page presents three different facets of forensic geology. The first essay focuses on the investigation of A. Coors murder using geology. The second essays explores how early scientists from the Geological Survey were able to establish where the balloons that Japan was drifting over America came from. The final story details how forensic geologists at the FBI were able to track down where a DEA agent was killed and buried in Mexico using geology. His love of the subject and the characters AND place enables McPhee to weave a story that transports the reader around the world, while having on McPhee's every sentence.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This work was 75 % entertainment and 25% education, the inverse of the usual McPhee ratio, in my view anyway. I usually give his books a triple read /listen because they're so informationally packed, but not this one. Still, it was worth the time. But not three times the time.

What did you like best about this story?

Forensic geology.

Which scene was your favorite?

Rustling up cattle rustlers.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No- not relevant to a collection of essays.

Any additional comments?

I liked the wry sense of humor always lurking in the background in what otherwise might be considered a collection of merely interesting topics, nonetheless superbly written about. The narrator was also top-notch in conveying McPhee's subtle humorous undertone. Without that, this might have been a flop.

While the essays are interesting, the book certainly is not "punctuated with a sharp sense of humor" as the summary states. There is no attempt at humor be it sharp, wry, witty, sarcastic or any other kind. It deliveres on trivia, but the note on humor must be a typo.

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